Happy Halloween!

Here's where I show you a million pictures of my cute kids.

Ginny wanted to be Pink Minnie but when we were looking through the pattern book for a suitable Minnie dress she saw the pattern for this:

"I wear dis dess."

"You don't want to be Pink Minnie?"

"I wear dat dess."

Okay.

Ginny is more than happy for me to sew during the day if I am making something for her.  I told her I would try to finish it after she went to bed and we woke to her crying the next day, trying to get into my sewing room and yelling "I want my dess! I want my dess!"  Needless to say, she's wanted to wear it everyday since. 

The crown was already in her daily dress-up rotation.  In fact, I did a little tutorial for it on Instagram a couple of months ago.  You can find it with the hashtag #easydressupcrown.  (While you're at it, follow me, @ladyharvatine!  There's a lot more sewing and a LOT more baby pics there then there are here these days!)

Teddy was going to go as Pink Mickey to match Gin's Pink Minnie but since that was off the table I went for the obvious costume:

My Teddy Bear!

Both of these are Simplicity patterns though I don't have the numbers on hand.  Ginny's was made exactly like the pattern.  Teddy's was more for toddlers so I took in the smallest size.  I also adjusted the placement of the ears a bit, made the ear linings smaller, added the tuft of hair and the little pads to the bottom of his feet.  I also attached the feet to the onesie instead of having separate booties.

Ginny loved trick-or-treating.  Teddy was happy to go along for the ride and was asleep by the time we got home.  Gin proceeded to sample a little bit of a lot of candy.  As you can see she really lived it up.

 Harv already owned all of his costume.

 And last (maybe least?), I was Kid Sister in white overalls and a white visor that I found at the thrift store and dyed pink.  I was surprised by how many people remembered My Buddy but had never heard of Kid Sister!

Though we never had either, they definitely have equal billing in my memory (as do their jingles).

 A disparate group for sure.  Maybe next year we'll do a family costume but I have a feeling if we do it will have to revolve around Gin's whims.  She's a pretty opinionated little girl.

Happy Halloween!

Family costumes!  I was thinking of making Ginny a fun ghost costume (she makes a pretty cute ghost noise) and the idea of the three of us dressing as the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion popped into my head.  I looked up some pictures online to refresh my memory and that sealed the deal. There's a tiny little one with a beard!  If you're not sure what I'm talking about look here or here or at this especially fun one here.

Ginny is holding the beard.  She happily wore it for extended periods earlier in the evening.

This is what happened when we tried to get her to wear it for the photo.

Oh well.  We're going trick-or-treating tonight so I'll try to get a photo of her in the beard.  Luckily she had no problem with the ball and chain.

I made Harv's coat, dicky and bow-tie, my cloak and vest and Ginny's gown and wig/beard.  Harv's vest and knickers were leftover from his Great Pandsby costume several years ago.  I dyed or tea stained all of the lighter clothes and I aged the dark ones with sand paper and watered down white acrylic paint

I hope you all have a great day with just the right amount of spooks, sugar and fun!

Happy Halloween!

C'est L'Halloween!

Well, it was two and a half weeks ago anyway. What? I'm busy!
I've gone from zero to sixty this year in the costume production department. Buddy Systems hosted what may be the first annual Halloween Buddy Ball so there was no way my Kroquasian costume could make a repeat performance. So...I'd like to introduce you to....Squirrelly Temple!

A bit high-concept? Perhaps. Eerily close to a furry outfit? Most definitely. But the costume was a ton of fun to make and even more fun to wear.

The dress was from an actual pattern (I'm sorry I don't know what!) that I shortened A LOT and widened the boob ties. I whipped up a matching pair of puffy underpants/diaper cover (no, there was no diaper). The tail has some big ass heavy duty armature wire inside along with some fiber-fil. The wire is JB Quiked into a piece of 2x4 which is screwed to a nylon work belt from the hardware store. It was surprisingly not uncomfortable yet not surprisingly awesome to wear. And of course, the icing on the cake was a pair of tap shoes, ordered off Ebay, originally sent as two left shoes, I kid you not.

Some other notables:

Harv (as a Green Bay Packer) and I.

Imposter Harv (our friend Ethan) and genuine Harv.

And last but so far from least, the masterpiece known as Sexy Stay Puft.

More Buddy Ball pictures here.

Kroquasian!

Harv and I went to a party recently called Kroquasian. It was an Asian themed croquet party. Sounds strange, I know, but let me tell you: greatest party ever!

All of the guest were in "anything goes" Asian costumes and the hosts decorated like mother truckers, with lanterns galore, a giant homemade gong, a pagoda bar and an incredible custom croquet course.

Also...Singapore Slings. Oh goodness, those are good.

We've never been costume people but we gave our all for this party and had so much fun. I made a "Lady Harvatine Style" Kimono and Harv went as a Roaring-20's-Socialite-Panda-from-Long-Island. "The Great Pands-by", if you will, complete with bamboo croquet mallet (its long in case he gets hungry and needs a snack).

The kimono was made from an altered Butterick (I think) costume pattern. I shortened the hem considerably and the sleeves slightly, and added the patchwork panels at the bottom of the sleeves. Harv's costume was entirely thrifted with the exception of ears, a tail and a pair of women's argyle socks from Target.
You can see some more photos here.